Shop OBEX P1 Docs P2 Docs Learn Events
Erroneous Readings — Parallax Forums

Erroneous Readings

ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
edited 2003-06-18 18:10 in General Discussion
Good folks,
I am working on a project where I have an A/D convertor hooked to a
BS2 that outputs the results to a 3 digit LED display.

It reads accurate everytime while the Laptop computer is hooked to
the stamp but gives intermittent false reading when disconnected.

Does the programming port need terminated?

Any help would be appreciated.

Kirk

Comments

  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-06-17 15:27
    Hi Kirk

    No, the programming port does not need termination.
    However it is a good idea to "terminate" the stamp's ATN line.

    100n
    DTR ----||---+---+--- ATN
    | |
    _|_ /
    100n --- \3k3 the resistor is optional
    | / but recommended
    _|_ _|_

    hope the artwork arrives intact

    Is the erroneous reading just in the moment when you disconnect the
    laptop, or always as soon as it is disconnected?
    Could it probably be that your stamp resets occasionally when
    disconnected from the laptop?
    I would check groundings an power supply tracks.

    Regards
    Adrian
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-06-17 17:30
    The drawing is not quite intact but I assume that are suggesting to add a
    3.3.k parallel to the cap that is already on most Stamp (Parallax produced)
    commercial boards.



    Original Message
    From: Adrian Schneider [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=XEsJD-r7a9wCG3DsVUFX3C98DT55crnoklE9oZAbkAgAewBLSwQqO3-wySbN_2HGTAtfby6llnWCuWdle92AZRFVBQaaXtq02A]adrian.schneider@t...[/url
    Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 10:28 AM
    To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
    Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: Erroneous Readings

    Hi Kirk

    No, the programming port does not need termination.
    However it is a good idea to "terminate" the stamp's ATN line.

    100n
    DTR ----||---+---+--- ATN
    | |
    _|_ /
    100n --- \3k3 the resistor is optional
    | / but recommended
    _|_ _|_

    hope the artwork arrives intact

    Is the erroneous reading just in the moment when you disconnect the
    laptop, or always as soon as it is disconnected?
    Could it probably be that your stamp resets occasionally when
    disconnected from the laptop?
    I would check groundings an power supply tracks.

    Regards
    Adrian


    To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
    Body of the message will be ignored.


    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/



    [noparse][[/noparse]Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-06-17 22:12
    Thanks for the advice.
    I do not have a 3K resistor on the ATN line to ground but will try
    that and let you know.
    This is a scales. It turns on power to Stamp/ADC/Display when weight
    is applied. There is a delay for voltages to stabalize then it
    samples the weight (Load Cell) 8 times over 2 seconds then averages
    them and displays it on the LED display for 5 seconds then shuts
    down.
    It has never failed to read correctly with the computer hooked up.

    The only other thing I notices was a negative voltage on the TX/RX
    line out of the laptop to ground.

    Thanks again for the help.
    Kirk

    --- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, Sadler Porter
    <porter.sadler@s...> wrote:
    > The drawing is not quite intact but I assume that are suggesting to
    add a
    > 3.3.k parallel to the cap that is already on most Stamp (Parallax
    produced)
    > commercial boards.
    >
    >
    >
    >
    Original Message
    > From: Adrian Schneider [noparse][[/noparse]mailto:adrian.schneider@t...]
    > Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 10:28 AM
    > To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
    > Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: Erroneous Readings
    >
    > Hi Kirk
    >
    > No, the programming port does not need termination.
    > However it is a good idea to "terminate" the stamp's ATN line.
    >
    > 100n
    > DTR ----||---+---+--- ATN
    > | |
    > _|_ /
    > 100n --- \3k3 the resistor is optional
    > | / but recommended
    > _|_ _|_
    >
    > hope the artwork arrives intact
    >
    > Is the erroneous reading just in the moment when you disconnect the
    > laptop, or always as soon as it is disconnected?
    > Could it probably be that your stamp resets occasionally when
    > disconnected from the laptop?
    > I would check groundings an power supply tracks.
    >
    > Regards
    > Adrian
    >
    >
    > To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    > from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
    Subject and
    > Body of the message will be ignored.
    >
    >
    > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
    >
    >
    > [noparse][[/noparse]Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-06-18 07:34
    Hi Kirk

    The negative voltage you mentionned, is formed by that transistor
    network at frontend of the stamp's Rx/Tx lines. Its supply comes
    from the connected computer (your laptop in this case).
    It is only neccessary to make the Rx/Tx lines - which are TTL
    otherwise - compliant with the requirements of the RS232 standard.

    If you already have the caps between ATN/DTR the resistor probably
    will not change a lot.

    BTW: when you disconnect the laptop, did you remove the cable
    from your circuit? If you leave it dangling it could pick up
    noise and cause the erroneous behaveiour of your circuit.

    could you probably provide a circuit diagram?

    Regards
    Adrian
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-06-18 13:00
    The resistor did not help but good try.
    My programming cable off the Stamp is only 6" long.
    I have a 6'cable from there to the Laptop.
    It is just when I unplug both from the laptop that the problem starts.
    Then I can not to a "debug" to see where the error occurs.
    I will post a schematic and program later.

    I may have a shielding problem since I have all the components in a small area.

    I am going to run some monitoring leads out to see if the problem is the if I
    can isolate the problem.
    Thanks for the help. Must work for a living now.
    Kirk


    Original Message
    From: Adrian Schneider [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=B_et4-xH150shDOK9Xa6kn97j5BDkYFGoQ7x1ER6pyZeiFB92l8fnL0Pc2pH4_LNyiJxRU3ZAUO_J4XNmo3hrLcGxu_A]adrian.schneider@t...[/url
    Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2003 1:35 AM
    To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
    Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: Erroneous Readings


    Hi Kirk

    The negative voltage you mentionned, is formed by that transistor
    network at frontend of the stamp's Rx/Tx lines. Its supply comes
    from the connected computer (your laptop in this case).
    It is only neccessary to make the Rx/Tx lines - which are TTL
    otherwise - compliant with the requirements of the RS232 standard.

    If you already have the caps between ATN/DTR the resistor probably
    will not change a lot.

    BTW: when you disconnect the laptop, did you remove the cable
    from your circuit? If you leave it dangling it could pick up
    noise and cause the erroneous behaveiour of your circuit.

    could you probably provide a circuit diagram?

    Regards
    Adrian


    To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and Body
    of the message will be ignored.


    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2003-06-18 18:10
    Is the cable still connected to the stamp programming port, but
    disconnected from the laptop? If so, try it with the cables
    disconnected. Also, put a 0.1uf capacitor in parallel with the 3kohm
    resistor on the ATN pin.

    Since you can't use the debug window, instead, put an LED or a piezo
    speaker on a free output pin, and make it do something at the very
    top of your program to check for resetting.

    I ran into a weird problem the other daym where a stamp was seemingly
    locked up on a SERIN command on p16. This was a SERIN with timeout,
    but it would never time out. The Stamp was not resetting. A 6 foot
    RS232 cable was still attached to the programming port, and the
    problem disappeared when the cable was disconnected. When I looked
    at the Rx and Tx lines, at first I didn't see anything, but the scope
    was triggering on something. It turned out there was a pulse just a
    couple of microseconds wide, recurring with a period of several
    milliseconds, on both the Rx and Tx lines. It was some kind of
    internal oscillation in the Rx/Tx circuit, coupled by the cable
    capacitance. I need to look at it more closely. But it is just one
    more reason for not leaving an unterminated cable attached to the
    Stamp programming port.

    -- Tracy




    >The resistor did not help but good try.
    >My programming cable off the Stamp is only 6" long.
    >I have a 6'cable from there to the Laptop.
    >It is just when I unplug both from the laptop that the problem starts.
    >Then I can not to a "debug" to see where the error occurs.
    >I will post a schematic and program later.
    >
    >I may have a shielding problem since I have all the components in a
    >small area.
    >
    >I am going to run some monitoring leads out to see if the problem is
    >the if I can isolate the problem.
    >Thanks for the help. Must work for a living now.
    >Kirk
    >
    >
    >
    Original Message
    >From: Adrian Schneider [noparse]/noparse]mailto:[url=http://forums.parallaxinc.com/group/basicstamps/post?postID=NAnEhlcKhQ0QF-1Ld-759UEojI8EvkiMnvXb8E0U2ZAQ7Wh-wYJWVDLGylKq3hiiI-lPM8IOsVQpV5G3ZEiblDFCFi2zAYksKg]adrian.schneider@t...[/url
    >Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2003 1:35 AM
    >To: basicstamps@yahoogroups.com
    >Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Re: Erroneous Readings
    >
    >
    >Hi Kirk
    >
    >The negative voltage you mentionned, is formed by that transistor
    >network at frontend of the stamp's Rx/Tx lines. Its supply comes
    >from the connected computer (your laptop in this case).
    >It is only neccessary to make the Rx/Tx lines - which are TTL
    >otherwise - compliant with the requirements of the RS232 standard.
    >
    >If you already have the caps between ATN/DTR the resistor probably
    >will not change a lot.
    >
    >BTW: when you disconnect the laptop, did you remove the cable
    >from your circuit? If you leave it dangling it could pick up
    >noise and cause the erroneous behaveiour of your circuit.
    >
    >could you probably provide a circuit diagram?
    >
    >Regards
    >Adrian
    >
    >
    >To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    >from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
    >Subject and Body of the message will be ignored.
    >
    >
    >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
    >
    >
    >To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
    > basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
    >from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the
    >Subject and Body of the message will be ignored.
    >
    >
    >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Sign In or Register to comment.